Entrou no palácio por um casamento arranjado, e o imperador cruel a amou profundamente

"Greetings, Mother." Lu Shuyao bowed her head in a respectful salute.

The First Madam nodded, her sharp gaze scrutinizing the illegitimate daughter before her. Lu Shuyao was blessed with a fair and lovely face; when she lowered her head, her long, delicate lashes fluttered like butterflies in the spring. A few stray wisps of hair, loosened by her movement, fell against her pale cheeks, adding to her gentle and graceful air, while her figure remained slender and enchanting. Except for the legal daughter, Lu Yuerong, no one else in the household could rival her beauty.

It was no wonder her daughter had proposed that Lu Shuyao take her place in the palace. Thinking of her daughter's request, the First Madam's expression soured. She could not fathom what had possessed her daughter after that fright while horseback riding, causing her to want to cast aside such a prestigious opportunity as entering the palace, and even insisting on swapping marriages with this base-born girl. One had to realize that while an illegitimate daughter's marriage prospects might be decent, they could never compare to the honor of entering the imperial palace.

When the marriage for the illegitimate daughter was originally arranged, the First Madam had not even bothered to carefully investigate the character of the third son of the Xie family. She had simply found a household whose status appeared acceptable on the surface—one that would not tarnish her image as a benevolent legal mother—and brushed the matter aside. The Xie family had a good reputation in t